Burbank, IL (April 15 & 16, 2011) - The Rams (11-1, 5-0) set out Friday night with one thing in mind- win the next 3 games and claim the Reavis invitational championship. The first challenge they faced was Maria H.S., which they easily handled 6-1. The Rams began the scoring 6 minutes into the game with a goal by Ana Valdez that was then followed by another goal by Valdez 7 minutes later. Reavis continued to to pour it on by scoring 3 more in the first half making the half-time score 5-0. The Rams came back out to put one more in the back of the net 4 minutes into the start of the second half. Scoring for the Rams was Ana Valdez with 2 goals and an assist, Anely Martinez with 1 goal and an assist, Chanel Koepke with a goal, Angelina Brcic with a goal, and America Lopez with an assist.
Saturday proved to be a test of toughness facing not only back-to-back games, but also driving winds and freezing rain. The Rams set their attention on their next opponent, T.F. Co-op. T.F. got the early upper-hand with a questionable foul call in the box that resulted in a PK. Reavis quickly regrouped and scored the equalizing goal, into the wind, from a pass from Ana Valdez to Chanel Koepke. Koepke, minutes later, scored the eventual winning goal off of a through-ball from Kristina Antol. Reavis had several more opportunities to score in the second half, but had trouble finding the back of the net. The defense held strong, though, and the 2 goals were all that were needed to advance to the championship game. The Ram's last obstacle was Chicago Christian, the reigning tournament champions for the last 3 years. What started off as a balanced back and forth game soon became one-sided once Chanel Koepke scored off of a ball from Gosia Skora. Later in the first half an insurance goal was scored by Heidi Ibrahim with a 35 yard bomb over the head of the Chicago Christian keeper. Again, the defense held strong anchored by the solid play of Katelyn Booe preventing any threats from the opposing offense.
Tournament Stats:
Reavis outscored their opponents 10-2
Tournament MVP- Chanel Koepke, Forward: 4 goals (14 goals, 5 assists on the season)
All-Tournament Team- Ana Valdez, Forward: 2 goals, 2 assists (15 goals, 5 assists on the season)
All-Tournament Team- Katelyn Booe, Sweeper
Anely Martinez, Midfield: 1 goal, 1 assist (3 goals, 4 assists on the season)
Kristina Antol, Midfield: 1 goal, 1 assist (3 goals, 2 assists on the season)
Angelina Brcic, Mid/Defense: 1 goal (2 goals, 2 assists on the season)
Heidi Ibrahim, Defense: 1 goal (1 goal, 1 assist on the season)
Gosia Skora, Midfield: 1 assist (1 goal, 3 assists on the season)
America Lopez, Midfield: 1 assist